


Worst Cliché

by ashtraythief



Series: Underneath 'verse [22]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Mob, M/M, POV Outsider, Pining, Unrequited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28559922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtraythief/pseuds/ashtraythief
Summary: Adam Rose really loved his job at the Turning Pages. He also really loved it when his favorite customer came in. Even though Jensen Campell was totally out of Adam’s league, he still couldn’t help but hope. Until one day, Adam figured out why Jensen Campbell never picked up on anything Adam was trying to lay down.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Series: Underneath 'verse [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/161699
Comments: 90
Kudos: 271





	Worst Cliché

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! May this year be better than the last.
> 
> I wanted to post an underneath snippet to start off the new year, but the one with ~feelings~ isn’t quite ready, so I can only offer this. Since I wrote an outsider POV pining after Jared, I thought it’s only fair to make another poor guy pine after Jensen. You know, spreading the misery equally.
> 
> As for all of you, I have only love and gratitude. On New Year’s I got kind of emotional about hopefully finishing this fic at some point, and I wrote a little snippet about Jensen having thoughts on New Year’s. It doesn’t really fit anywhere here, but you can find it on tumblr 
> 
> [ **here** ](https://ashtraythief.tumblr.com/post/639150261816983552/holidays-underneath-verse#notes)
> 
> .
> 
> Many, many thanks to ilikaicalie and masja_17 for still sticking around to beta this monster.

Adam Rose really loved his job at the Turning Pages. He loved to read and he loved to talk about books. He even loved the research aspect of hunting down books long out of print or finding titles with vague descriptions. Most booksellers hated the ‘I'm looking for this book, I saw it a couple of months ago, I think it's a thriller, and it has a blue cover’ crowd, but Adam loved a challenge. He knew books, he knew how to work google. He was good at his job. Confident. What he was not so confident in was his dating life.

To be fair, he was also not as effortlessly gorgeous as for example his current crush.

His name was Jensen Campbell—he paid with a credit card—and he came in almost every week, browsing the fantasy section. He read a lot. He was also hot, like burning. Seriously, the eyes and the mouth and the freckles and the shoulders and the biceps, even the bow legs, Adam could not look away. That man wore boots like it was an art form and apparently Adam had a thing for that. He hadn’t known that about himself. But maybe he also just had a thing for all things Jensen Campbell.

Allison, the manager, agreed. All things Jensen Campbell were extremely hot. She had been carefully testing the waters to see if he’d be interested, but then he asked if they had a copy of Swordspoint and Allison just blinked twice before she told Campbell that they did and that Adam would show him.

Adam had been a little slower on the uptake—he was still busy staring at Campbell’s sincere expression when he’d asked for assistance before he registered that he’d asked for Swordspoint, a queer cult classic and _oh_.

That didn't mean that Adam flirted with him of course, but when they were standing at the shelf, looking for the book, Adam got a whiff of cologne and almost face-planted into Campbell’s broad chest.

When Cambell had paid and left, Allison turned to him. “So.”

“Nothing so,” Adam said because Campbell was so far out of his league, they weren't even living in the same world. Campbell was like a regal Middle Earth elf and Adam was more like a Hogwarts house elf. Basically Campbell was Legolas and Adam was Dobby.

“Why not?” Allison asked impatiently.

“Because I have dopey eyes and a weird face, and he could be voted sexiest man alive tomorrow and no one would bat an eye.”

Allison blew out a heavy breath and tucked her dark hair behind her ear. “Listen, so what if that guy is a ten and you’re a seven? You’re a cute seven, especially with your glasses, you have an extremely cute butt, and you’re funny and smart and a great cook.”

Adam shook his head. “Guys like that don’t date guys like me. Guys like that go out every weekend and hook up with two different guys during one night because they can have anyone they want.”

“What if he wants a connection? A real relationship? Not just someone who wants him for his body but for his great taste in books?”

Adam just rolled his eyes and walked away. “I am going to stack books now. Far away from you.”

“Coward!” Allison yelled after him.

Adam found solace in the cookbook section.

Campbell kept coming back and every time Allison was there with Adam, she made sure that Adam got the books for him, that Adam did the research for out of print second-hand novels, and that Adam was the one who rang him up.

And while Adam was grateful for the eye and ear candy—Campbell had a voice like whiskey and could make an ISBN number sound sexy—Adam could have lived without knowing how nice he actually was. Campbell never treated him like a lowly employee even though it was obvious from his clothes that he had money. Adam had also spotted him getting into a fancy looking sedan—something German, Adam wasn’t good with cars—and Campbell even had a driver. So lots of money. And yet he came into their tiny second-hand book store, spent thirty bucks on old novels, and talked to Adam like they were equals. Which was par for the course in a second-hand bookstore, but Adam had worked as a waiter in college and he’d been talked down to by enough rich assholes to appreciate that Campbell wasn’t corrupted by the money he so clearly had.

Even though Campbell was widely read, he asked Adam—and Allison on the rare instances she stuck around—for advice and recommendations. And when he came in for his next books, they talked about what he’d thought of the last ones and they had pretty good discussions about world building, character arcs, and the use of made-up languages.

And at some point, Adam discovered to his absolute horror that his crush was quickly growing into full-blown falling in love. Sometime in his head, he’d gone from Cambell the customer, to Jensen, the guy who was the highlight of his day every time he showed up. Falling for the cute customer—it was the worst bookstore cliché.

Adam was so screwed.

He also wasn’t good at the whole flirting thing. But he tried to ask something every time Jensen came in, tried to tell Jensen something about himself that he’d hopefully find interesting.

He was morbidly curious about Jensen’s job. Jensen had a weird schedule, he showed up on all days during the week, always sometime after eleven. When Jensen said he wouldn’t be able to pick up an order in the next week, because he was going on a trip, Adam took his chance.

“A trip? Business or pleasure?”

“Business,” Jensen said, “though I like my job, so it’s hopefully going to be fun.”

“It’s really great when you love your job,” Adam said.

Jensen smiled, and it was soft but also a little sad. “You love your job, don’t you?”

The question felt heavy, but Adam didn’t know why.

“Yeah,” he said. “I do. I mean, what do you do with an English major? I went into it because I loved literature and I wanted to keep working with it.”

Jensen pointed at him. “And you do have mad research skills.”

Adam rubbed his neck. “I guess. So what are your mad skills?”

Jensen smirked and his expression was lighter. Score. “I majored in art history in college and I also wanted to keep working with that. I’m an art consultant.”

“I have no idea what an art consultant does,” Adam admitted.

Jensen laughed. “Yeah, half the time neither do I. I work with collectors, gallerists, and dealers. I facilitate sales, help build collections, that sort of thing.”

Well, that explained the money.

“That sounds pretty impressive,” Adam said.

Jensen shrugged. “I love art.”

“So who’s your favorite painter?”

“Van Gogh.”

Adam was so glad it was someone he knew. “Van Gogh is pretty awesome. They have a few here at the museum, right?”

Jensen’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, they do. You ever go?”

“Not really. I went once when I moved here, but I haven’t been back since.” Adam took a deep breath. This was his shot. “I should go back. Maybe with a guide this time.”

“Definitely,” Jensen said with a nod, then he handed over his credit card.

Adam didn’t dare push more.

“See you next time,” Jensen said. “Bye, Allison!”

Adam turned around to see Allison leaning against the counter. Adam hadn’t even heard her coming.

“That was your shot, you know.” She pursued her lips. “Like, you were halfway there and then you chickened out.”

“Yeah, well it’s not like he ever makes a move, so.”

Allison put a hand on her hip. “Well, maybe he doesn’t hit on sales assistants because he knows that you don’t do that.”

Adam groaned. “Just stop trying to get me to hope.”

“I will stop as soon as you take a shot.”

“He’ll say no,” Adam said.

“But you’ll know.”

Adam sighed. Maybe it would make him feel better. Or the soul-crushing rejection would cure him of his infatuation.

But a couple of weeks later, when Jensen came in, Adam thought, maybe, if he could see him in a more relaxed setting…

“So, I don’t know if you’re into that sort of thing,” Adam started and felt himself flush when he realized how that might sound.

Thankfully, Jensen was just watching him with polite attention while Adam rang up his books.

“I mean, we do a short story contest every few months and this round’s genre is fantasy. A lot of it is obviously crap, but there are always a few gems and we have the two winners read excerpts from their stories and there’ll be wine and crackers and you get to talk to other people who are into the genre. And there are some people there who know even more about books than I do, so—” Adam cut himself off when he realized he was rambling.

Jensen was smiling politely. “Sounds nice.”

“Yes. Yeah, it’s really nice. Um, here.” Adam scrambled for a flyer and held it out to Jensen. “It’s next Wednesday.”

Jensen took their flyer and their fingers brushed together, sending sparks up Adam’s arm. “I don’t know my schedule for next week yet, but I’ll see if I can make it.”

Adam nervously rubbed his neck, then pushed the books over to Jensen. He never wanted a bag, always just took them to the car and he didn’t want a receipt either.

“Yeah, that'd be great. I mean, it’s going to be fun and it’s always nice to have a good crowd. I mean, people who can appreciate the genre and not just the obligatory friends and family, you know?”

At that, Jensen laughed. “Yeah, I remember the family and friends audience from my high school’s theater productions.”

Adam just nodded mutely. He had made Jensen laugh. With his rambling. He’d made Jensen laugh, Jensen who had a beautiful laugh and crinkles in the corners of his eyes and Adam actually had to raise a hand to the corner of his mouth to make sure he wasn’t drooling.

Thankfully, Jensen didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, picked up his books, and left with a smile and a see-you-next-time.

For the next week, Adam fretted about Wednesday. He told himself that Jensen would probably not show up, really, there was no reason to get his hopes up, but he still got more nervous with every day Wednesday came closer and on the day he wore his best jeans and a shirt that Allison said brought out his eyes.

Jensen didn’t show. Adam told himself he shouldn’t be disappointed, he really, really shouldn’t, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself from fantasizing, just a little bit, and he went home feeling despondent despite the event having gone well.

After the poetry contest, Jensen didn’t show up for a while. He stayed away for so long, Adam started to worry that he had picked up his crush and stayed away purposefully to avoid any awkwardness.

But then one Tuesday evening, Jensen walked in like his absence hadn’t turned Adam inside out for the last weeks.

Jensen was on the phone with someone called Traci, just waved at Adam as he walked past into the bowels of the store where they had the fantasy books.

Adam busied himself with pricing little charms for the counter. Jensen came back ten minutes later, no longer on the phone.

“Hey Adam, how’s it going?”

“Good, how about yourself?”

Jensen grinned. “Can’t complain. How was your poetry event?”

He remembered. Adam smiled. “Good, actually. We put the winning stories up on the homepage if you want to check them out.”

“I’ll do that when I’m done with this one.” Jensen held up volume seven of the Malazan series. He’d started reading it months ago, but he hadn’t bought a part of the series in a while.

“Giving it another try?” Adam asked.

“I never really stopped,” Jensen said. “I just need a palate cleanser in between. It’s a lot.”

Adam nodded. “I get that.” Adam swallowed, took up all his courage. “But I get that sometimes, you also need to try something new. Something unexpected.”

Jensen nodded. “Definitely. Like the short stories.”

“Yeah. Or something else.”

“Oh?” Jensen raised his eyebrows in perfect arches. “Anything you can recommend we haven’t talked about before?”

Adam’s hands were sweating. “Something romance focused maybe?”

Jensen made a face. “I don’t mind a little romance every now and then, but not as the focus of the plot.”

Adam didn’t really know how to continue his very bad attempt at flirtation, so he just handed Jensen his books. “Totally understandable. But I’m sure we’ll find something when you come in the next time.”

“I‘m sure you will. You guys always come through.”

And with a blinding smile and a little wave, Jensen left. Adam mournfully watched his broad shoulders as he walked out the door.

Adam was terrible at flirting and Jensen didn’t seem inclined to make any move in that direction. Maybe Adam should just give up.

“Oh, the book Campbell ordered arrived this morning,” Allison said casually after Adam was daydreaming at the counter after another Jensen encounter.

Aghast, Adam turned to her. “What? Why didn’t you say anything? He was just here! We’ve been waiting on that book for over a month.”

Allison grinned sharply. “Well, because now you can call him tomorrow and tell him the book’s here and he’ll come in again. So you get to see him again.”

Adam groaned. “You’re actually the worst.”

“You love me,” she said, completely unrepentant.

Adam called Jensen the next day, and Jensen promised he’d stop by sometime this week. There was a dog barking in the background and Adam wondered if it was Harley or Sadie. Because yes, they had talked about dogs once, and Adam had of course memorized their names. Adam himself was more of a cat person, had thought Jensen was too, but no one was perfect, not even Jensen Campbell.

When Jensen came in the next day to pick up the book, Adam realized that there was a very concrete reason Jensen never reacted to anything Adam was trying to lay down. And that reason was about six foot four, had linebacker shoulders, hair so shiny it wouldn’t be out of place in a shampoo commercial, and a sharp, very attractive bone structure. Of course, Jensen would date someone almost as gorgeous as himself. Almost, because Jensen’s beauty was out of this world and no human could compare. But the guy next to him came fairly close. He was dressed in a well-fitting dark suit and his wristwatch looked very expensive.

“Hey.” Jensen gave Adam his heart-stopping happy smile. “I’m here to pick up the book you ordered for me.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Adam said and turned towards the shelf behind the register where they kept the orders.

“Thank you so much for getting it, I really appreciate it.” Jensen’s voice was so damn sincere.

Adam told himself to pull it together. This really should not come as a surprise. “Of course,” he said, “it's what we’re here for.”

Jensen shook his head. “How many hours were you on the phone with Ireland for this? Seriously, thank you.”

Adam blushed, couldn’t help himself. “It's nothing.”

“Can I just pay more for this?”

“Absolutely not,” Adam said. “It’s just part of the service.”

“That’s some really good service,” the man next to Jensen said. He’d hung back, but now he stepped up to Jensen, so close their shoulders were brushing, and put a hand on his back.

Jensen grinned at the guy. “Jared, I told you, this is the best bookstore in Chicago.”

Jared. Adam hadn’t heard the name before, maybe it wasn’t serious?

Jared’s eyes were certainly serious when he looked at Adam. “You did say that, sweetheart. You didn’t say the employees were so… devoted.”

Something cold ran down Adam’s spine. There was a hard edge in Jared’s voice and he had absolutely no doubt that Jared had seen immediately what Jensen never had.

Jensen still wasn’t picking up on it, was looking at Jared in confusion. Jared smiled, but it wasn’t friendly. He pulled a money clip from his pants pocket and took out two bills.

“Here.” He handed Adam the money. “For your service.”

Adam stared at the money. It was two fifties. Who walked around with fifties in an honest to God money clip?

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept that,” Adam said, because doing research for Jensen, he didn’t do that for the money, didn’t want to make it about the money. And he knew what Jared was doing, it couldn’t be more obvious if he was pissing on Jensen, but Adam would stand his ground.

“Jared, come on,” Jensen said, but Jared ignored him.

He tilted his head, his jaw tight, and his eyes sharp on Adam. “I insist.”

Suddenly Allison was there and took the money out of Jared’s hand.

“Thank you so much, we appreciate it,” she said in her uber polite customer service voice. “Enjoy the book, Jensen.” What she said next confused the hell out of Adam. “Mr. Padalecki, thank you so much for your business. We really appreciate it.”

Jared raised his eyebrows and Jensen’s eyes shot back and forth between Allison and him.

“I don’t think we met, Mrs....?”

“Allison Witfield. I manage the store. But I’m from Bridgeport.”

“Ah.” Jared smiled pleasantly. “Well, Jensen loves this place, and I’ve heard only good things, so you might see me again some time.”

“It would be our pleasure,” Allison said.

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable. You know you’re not actually holding court, right?” he said under his breath, and Adam wasn’t sure he heard that right.

Jared just smiled. “I’m just being nice, sweetheart.” Then he turned back to Allison and Adam. “It was nice to finally meet you. Jensen, I made a reservation.”

Jensen’s eyes lit up. “The new Indian place?”

“Yeah.”

“I love you,” Jensen said fervently. Then he turned back to Adam. “Seriously, thanks again for all the work. I’ll be back in—” he looked at the book, obviously calculating time in his head. “One and a half weeks?”

Adam nodded weakly. “I’ll be here.” And then he got to watch Jensen walk away, Jared holding the door open for him. Fuck.

“Holy shit,” Allison said once they left.

“Yeah,” Adam said.

“Do you know who that just was?”

“Jensen’s boyfriend, I assume.”

Allison nodded. “Yeah, but do you know who he _is_?”

“Should I?” Adam asked.

Allison snorted. “Sometimes I forget you didn’t grow up here.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Jensen’s boyfriend there, that’s Jared Padalecki.”

They both watched Jensen and Jared through the window. They were standing in front of an SUV—Adam had never seen that car before, it must be the boyfriend’s then.

“And who is that?”

“He’s a mobster.”

Adam’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. “What?”

Allison nodded. “Yep. An honest to God, old school mob boss.”

Adam just shook his head. That couldn’t be. “How do you even know that?”

Allison shrugged. “I grew up on the South Side, in Bridgeport. My dad had a little convenience store and he used to pay protection to the Italian mob way back when. I have a cousin who’s not exactly on the straight and narrow. So I hear things. And besides, Padalecki’s second life is kind of an open secret. He has a legit business too, but everyone knows that he makes deals on the side. They just can’t prove it.”

“Do you think Jensen knows?” Adam asked and he wanted her to say no.

“There’s no way he doesn’t know,” Allison said with conviction.

“Fuck.” Adam didn’t know what to do with that.

Allison just patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, Adam. But at least now you know. And maybe that’s going to make it easier.”

“Make what easier?”

“Getting over him. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Jensen is a nice guy, but an ‘art consultant’ dating a mobster?” Allison pursued her lips. “I’d bet my right hand it’s more like art _thief_.”

Adam swallowed. That should really turn him off. Think less of Jensen. Instead, his pants got a little tight. But he couldn’t admit that.

So he just nodded. “Yeah, that’s terrible. Wow.”

“Don’t let him notice though,” Allison said. “We definitely want a good relationship with Campbell.”

“Don’t worry, that’s not going to be a problem,” Adam muttered darkly. “But I hope that now you'll stop bothering me about Jensen.”

Allison made a grimace. “Yeah. Sorry about that. You should not let Padalecki know you have the hots for his boyfriend.”

Adam had a feeling it was already too late for that. Great. “I think I’m gonna have to move.”

Allison laughed. “No offense, but I don’t think you warrant a hit just yet.”

“Comforting.”

Allison patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, Adam.”

Adam just shrugged. “It’s alright. I never really thought I had a shot here anyway. I’ll just… keep daydreaming.”

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Then she disappeared into the backroom.

Adam put his elbows on the counter and buried his face in his hands. He should take some time off, maybe drive home to see his family. He could do with a serving of his mom’s meatloaf right about now. Nevermind his old high school friend John, with whom he’d had a casual small-town-back-home-for-the-Holidays-hook-up going for years. Adam could use some loving right about now.

**Author's Note:**

> You can come find me on tumblr [here](http://ashtraythief.tumblr.com/) and on twitter [here.](https://twitter.com/ashtraythief) My ask box is always open.


End file.
